How this Prosecution of a Former Soldier Over the 1972 Londonderry Incident Concluded in Not Guilty Verdict
January 30th, 1972 is remembered as arguably the deadliest – and significant – dates throughout thirty years of conflict in this area.
Throughout the area of the incident – the images of that fateful day are painted on the structures and embedded in people's minds.
A protest demonstration was organized on a wintry, sunny day in Derry.
The protest was opposing the practice of internment – holding suspects without trial – which had been put in place after multiple years of conflict.
Military personnel from the specialized division killed thirteen individuals in the Bogside area – which was, and continues to be, a overwhelmingly Irish nationalist area.
A particular photograph became especially memorable.
Pictures showed a religious figure, the priest, using a blood-stained cloth while attempting to shield a group carrying a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been killed.
News camera operators captured much footage on the day.
Documented accounts features Father Daly telling a reporter that military personnel "appeared to fire in all directions" and he was "completely sure" that there was no provocation for the shooting.
The narrative of what happened was disputed by the first inquiry.
The first investigation concluded the Army had been attacked first.
Throughout the negotiation period, the ruling party established a fresh examination, after campaigning by family members, who said the first investigation had been a cover-up.
In 2010, the report by the investigation said that generally, the paratroopers had fired first and that not one of the victims had posed any threat.
The then Prime Minister, David Cameron, issued an apology in the Parliament – declaring deaths were "without justification and inexcusable."
The police started to examine the incident.
An ex-soldier, identified as the accused, was charged for murder.
Accusations were made over the killings of James Wray, twenty-two, and 26-year-old the second individual.
The defendant was also accused of trying to kill multiple individuals, other civilians, further individuals, another person, and an unidentified individual.
Exists a legal order maintaining the soldier's privacy, which his attorneys have argued is necessary because he is at danger.
He stated to the investigation that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at people who were possessing firearms.
This assertion was rejected in the concluding document.
Information from the investigation could not be used directly as testimony in the court case.
In the dock, the accused was screened from view using a protective barrier.
He made statements for the opening instance in the hearing at a hearing in late 2024, to answer "not responsible" when the allegations were read.
Family members of those who were killed on that day made the trip from the city to Belfast Crown Court every day of the case.
John Kelly, whose relative was fatally wounded, said they understood that listening to the proceedings would be emotional.
"I remember the events in my recollection," he said, as we walked around the main locations referenced in the case – from the location, where Michael was fatally wounded, to the adjacent the area, where James Wray and William McKinney were died.
"It even takes me back to my position that day.
"I participated in moving my brother and lay him in the ambulance.
"I relived each detail during the evidence.
"Despite experiencing all that – it's still valuable for me."